"Rocket (Richard X One Zero Remix)"

Talk about diminishing returns: When "Rocket", Goldfrapp's first single from their forthcoming fifth full-length Head First, leaked late last month, its frothy synth stabs and propulsive melody brought sighs of relief to anyone that was bored to tears from the electro-pop outfit's last effort, 2008's pastorally bland Seventh Tree. However, somewhat flat-sounding production and chanteuse Alison Goldfrapp's increasingly dusky, Stevie Nicks-esque delivery left some wondering whether Goldfrapp and collaborator Will Gregory fell on the wrong (and unintentionally parodying) side of the 80s-worship divide.

If the original "Rocket" stays grounded in our kitsch-saturated current consciousness, then pop-production/songwriting godhead Richard X's utterly sublime seven-minute "One Zero" remix takes the tune's detritus and sends it jettisoning to another time and galaxy. The famed UK producerÂ swaps the original's instant kickof [#script:http://cms.pitchfork.com/media/backend/js/tiny_mce/themes/advanced/langs/en.js]|||||| f for something more subdued, as churchly tones eventually give way to the dark-disco sound he previously exhibited in Annie's "Songs Remind Me of You". Bubbling synth patterns are stacked on top of each other with precise detail, bouncing back and forth and giving the track an Italo disco feel.

Indeed, Richard X has taken "Rocket" and given it a complete sonic makeover, choosing only to tease the aforementioned synth stabs at the song's chorus-- but while her vocals remain mostly unchanged, Goldfrapp's casual aeronautic sloganeering is imbued with something stronger than space-age silliness. When the beat drops out at the song's midpoint, like a space shuttle dumping its cargo, all that's left is Alison, repeating the same definite line into a weightless void: "You're never coming back." Exactly the opposite-- we'll be returning to this one for quite a while.

[from the "Rocket" single; out now in the UK and 03/08/10 in the U.S. on Mute]